william p carl ❖ fine prints

Dirk van Gelder engravings for sale

We are pleased to present this selection of fine prints by the celebrated Dutch artist, Dirk van Gelder. His prints are rare even in Holland today as his edition sizes were usually quite small. He excelled in lithography, etching and wood engraving and was also a superb watercolor painter. In conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the artist's birth, a catalogue raisonne was published in 2007 by the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, Netherlands. This book is referenced below.

Van Gelder was a masterful draughtsman in the tradition of Seghers, Rembrandt, and Bresdin. In fact, he is the author of the catalogue raisonne of Bresdin's etchings which was published in 1976. The artist always maintained close ties to The Hague: His father was the founder of the Gemeentemuseum and Director there from 1912-1941. Furthermore, the artist taught at the city's Royal Academy of Art from 1952-1972 and he helped establish the Hague Etching Club in 1984.

Nature was van Gelder's main source of inspiration. In the tradition of Durer and inspired by the 19th century romantics, he carefully and methodically observed what he etched and the results are really quite remarkable. Landscapes, plant and flower studies, birds and assorted garden creatures are all part of his repertoire. Even typography became important when he was focusing on his many ex libris designs produced in wood engraving. Dirk van Gelder was a printmaker extraordinaire and we are pleased to offer several examples of his work.

(Keep in mind; the images on this site are low resolution images produced out of necessity. The actual works of art are far more detailed and exacting than our on-line images suggest. We welcome any inquiry you may have.)

Dierenschedels op Grasgrond (Animal Skulls in the Meadow)Wood engraving, 1947, Adam/Eliens/van den Noort-van Gelder H176; edition 150. 5 1/2 x 7 in. Initialed and dated in the block and signed in pencil, lower right. This is a very fine, crisp impression printed on off-white wove paper. The margins are full. The condition is very good apart from a soft crease in the left margin. Van Gelder was inspired by an exhibition of English wood engravings which he saw in The Hague in 1937. This was his primary printmaking technique until the early 1950s.$500